Compatibility of iridium thin films with the silicon pore optics technology for Athena

The development of high-quality thin film coatings for the Athena X-ray optics is progressing, following the commissioning of an industrial scale coating facility. The assembly of silicon pore optics into mirror modules for the Athena telescope requires wet-chemical exposure of coated mirror plates to prepare bonding areas for stacking, as well as an annealing step to improve bond strength. It is therefore critical to evaluate how these...